Twilight Princess: What If?
by Triforce03
Summary: We all know that Link wins in the final battle battle of Twilight Princess, but what would have happened if he had lost? What would happen to Zelda? To Midna? To Hyrule?
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Hello everyone! Before we begin, I thought I'd share some info with you. This is my second fanfiction and it's basically a take on what would have happened if Link had lost the final battle in Twilight Princess. I've been planning this story since last year, so please let me know what you think. I do not own The Legend of Zelda. Without further ado, I present to you Twilight Princess: What If? Chapter 1: The fall of the hero "An impressive-looking blade" said Ganondorf, the king of evil,"but nothing more. Would you hear my desire? To take this foul blade and use it to blot out the light forever." he said, drawing the light sage's sword. Ganondorf then encircled both he and his opponent, Link, in a barrier of light. There was no escape and no assistance. Thunder roared in the distance as the two warriors prepared for their final showdown that would decide Hyrule's fate. The hero locked eyes with the dark lord, pure determination on his face. Link knew a lot was on the line. He could not fail. He had to defeat Ganondorf, for Hyrule, for Zelda...for Midna. Ganondorf started the battle by charging at Link and chancing him, but Link dodged his attack and countered with a back attack, successfully landing a few hits on his opponent. Link followed with a few slashes, but Ganondorf blocked all of them. Link grunted in frustration as the dark lord sneered at him. Ganondorf then followed up with his own sword combo attack, however Link blocked his sword attacks with his mighty Hylian Shield, but he did not see Ganondorf's incoming kick and was knocked down to the ground. Ganondorf then swung his sword down at Link, but Link rolled to the side and avoided his attack. Link got back up to his feet and attempted a forward thrust, but failed when his sword missed by inches. The hero panted and charged at Ganon, but the king of evil sprang up high. Link looked up and saw Ganondorf coming down on top of him. Link blocked the incoming attack, but the force of the blow knocked Link off balance, and Ganondorf followed with a kick to Link's stomach and a blow to his face using the hilt of his sword, knocking Link onto the ground again. "This...isn't...going...well" Link thought to himself as he tried to ignore the throbbing pain on his bruised cheek. "What's the matter, hero? Is that all?If so, I am really disappointed." Ganondorf taunted. Link got up once more and held his shield up in front of him, as he resumed battle with his foe. Ganondorf swung his sword vertically at Link, but the swift boy dodged the attack and followed up with another back slice, only for his attack to fail."Grr...I can't even land a single hit. What am I going to do? I can't give up. I have to win!" Link thought to himself as he desperately defended himself from Ganondorf's sword barrage. Meanwhile, Zelda prayed with all her might for the safety of Link. All she heard from behind the light barrier was the sound of metal clanging against metal and some grunts from both Link and Ganondorf. Zelda continued praying for Link, but she wasn't entirely worried about him. Link was the chosen one. The hero of light, chosen by the goddesses. He had overcome much more fearsome foes at least five times his size. He was even able to defeat the Dark Beast Ganon. This battle was almost a guaranteed victory for Link...or at least that's what Zelda thought, until she heard a certain hero grunt and groan in pain. "No, it can't be. Link can't be losing." Zelda thought to herself. However, there was no denying it. He was losing the battle. Link was not in good body was covered with bruises and blood and his clothing was tattered and torn from Ganon's sword attacks. Link, running out of health and stamina, tried drinking a blue potion, but Ganondorf knocked the bottle out of Link's hands with a swipe of his sword. Link had no energy left, but giving up was not an option."It's...not...over...yet." Link said, struggling to stay on his feet. Ganondorf was starting to feel irritated with Link."Foolish boy. He just doesn't know when he has been beaten." he thought to himself. "I think it's time that I put you out of your misery, hero.". "I'm sorry, Princess. I've failed. I'm sorry, Hyrule. I'm sorry, Midna." Link thought to himself as he awaited his demise. He could fight no more. He had come so far, only to be defeated in the end. He let everyone down. He had failed. And with that, Ganondorf attacked the already-weak Link viciously with one last kick, directly hitting him and sending him crashing into the light barrier. "No...this can't be happening" Zelda thought to herself. She felt the power of the Triforce of Courage diminishing. "LINK!" she yelled out. Ganondorf's light barrier dissapeared and the first thing Zelda and Epona saw was Link dropping the Master Sword, falling to his knees, and finally falling face-down on the ground unconscious. The chosen hero had been defeated. Author's note: Well there it is, the first chapter. By the way, to my people who commented on my other story, letting me know that you like my stories and my ideas, thank you. It really means a lot to know that people actually read my work. Feel free to comment, rate, and all other stuff. I'll try uploading more frequently. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Hello, my fellow readers/writers! Glad to see you're enjoying the story so far. By the way, if the giant paragraph bothered you, I am sorry. I am pretty sure I wrote in multi-paragraph form. Maybe something happened while I was uploading. Oh well, here we go again!**

Chapter 2: The fate of Hyrule

Zelda stood in shock, petrified at what she just witnessed. Link, the chosen hero, had been beaten, slain by Ganondorf's fury. She sat on Epona as she continued to watch the king of evil cackle loudly at Link's motionless body. Finally, when he ceased laughing, he turned to face Zelda. A deadly silence lasted for a few seconds, finally Ganondorf spoke.

"So much for your "hero"" he said, kicking the Master Sword away, "It's such a pity, Zelda. All you had to do was surrender your kingdom to me, and this entire bloodshed could have been avoided! But instead, you have caused this young boy to lose his life. I grant you one more chance: surrender your kingdom before you meet the same fate" he said, pointing his sword at Zelda.

Zelda was at a dead end. She was still thinking about how it was her fault that Link might be dead, and how maybe she should just surrender. Zelda got off of Epona, slowly walked toward Ganondorf and stood there. Her Triforce of Wisdom was glowing on her right hand. She quickly pulled out her bow and a light arrow and shot Ganondorf directly in the shoulder, stunning him. The dark lord yelled in pain and hatred, unable to move. Zelda quickly took advantage of the situation. She got Link and whistled for Epona. The horse responded to her call and ran towards them.

Ganondorf was now not only able to move, he was seething with rage. Zelda had just mounted Epona when she saw Ganondorf whistle for his horse. "C'mon girl! Hyah!" yelled Zelda as she and Epona made haste towards Castle Town. She looked back and saw that although Ganondorf was far behind them, he was catching up quickly. "There has to be a way to slow him down" thought Zelda. Zelda looked in Link's pockets for something to slow down Ganondorf, then she found a bomb arrow. Going through a cave that connects Castle Town to Hyrule Field, Zelda used the bomb arrow to blow up the cave ceiling behind her, causing boulders to fall down and create a wall, stopping Ganondorf in his tracks.

"That ought to buy me some time to get Link to safety" Zelda said as she looked down at her bruised and bloodied hero. Zelda quickly made her way to Telma's bar. Hiding in the alley, Zelda heard a loud boom, meaning Ganondorf had destroyed the wall. She quietly hid, holding Link in her arms. She felt chills down her spine and her heartbeat race as she heard hooves approaching and people screaming in terror. She closed her eyes tightly in fear, but then the hooves slowly faded away. Zelda felt bad, putting her own citizens in danger, but now wasn't the time for lamenting. She sighed in relief as she carried Link into Telma's bar.

"Princess Zelda?What are you doing here?" said Telma, the bar owner. Then, Telma looked at the green figure in Zelda's arms.

"Link! What happened?!" she yelled, taking Link and lying him on a bed.

"He's hurt. Ganondorf did this." she said, placing a hand on his bruised cheek.

"What do we do, Your Majesty?" asked Telma, sounding a bit nervous.

"We have to keep Link safe from further harm. We have to get him back to Ordon village. But how?" said Zelda.

"Your Majesty, I think I can help." said Telma as she made her way to some crates. She moved the crates to reveal a secret door on the ground. "My husband and I made this secret escape tunnel that leads to Hyrule Field in case of emergencies. It's a secret to everybody." said Telma.

"Meet me in Hyrule field on the other side of this tunnel." said Zelda.

"I will. Good luck, Zelda." said Telma, closing the door and hiding it again.

It was a long, continuous tunnel with no end and Zelda was getting tired. Her arms ached from carrying Link, and her feet ached from walking a lot. But mostly her heart ached. She couldn't help but wonder, maybe Ganondorf was right. It was her fault. Link didn't deserve this. Zelda couldn't comprehend why she felt so sympathetic towards some person she barely knew. Why did she care so much for him? After a while, Zelda finally made it out into Hyrule Field where Telma and Epona had been patiently waiting for her. Zelda mounted Epona and made her way towards Ordon Village. Along the way, she stopped at the light spirit, Faron. She used the water from the spring to clean Link's wounds and wash away the blood. Afterwards, she arrived in Ordon Village. She left Epona at Link's house and went to find the mayor.

"Link! What happened?" said the mayor of Ordon, taking him from Zelda.

"He was hurt in battle. Listen Mayor, I need you to do me a favor." said Zelda, "Things in Hyrule are about to take a turn for the worse. So, I need you to keep Link safe from anymore harm. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, Princess Zelda." said the Mayor, as he took Link back to his house.

After that, Zelda made her way back to Hyrule, but on her way back she saw sometning dreadful. The land was shrouded in darkness once again. Zelda saw fire going on in Hyrule Castle. She quickly ran to Castle Town in the midst of all the chaos.

Meanwhile, Ganondorf gazed out of his new castle and viewed the kingdom. He took great delight in watching them suffer. He grinned and said, "Hyrule. It's mine!", and chuckled evilly for the kingdom of Hyrule was now under his control.

**Author's note: Finally done! Sorry about the long update for this story. I was busy writing other stories. Can you find the Zelda quote that appears in every Zelda game. Triforce03 out!**


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